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March 24, 1964 P. J. EGGERS DEVICE ADAPTED TO DISPENSE EITHER ARTICLES OR FLUENT MATERIAL Filed June 1, 1961 mun I l l l I l l I l I l l l l ll wk 2:: d)%er [far/er ii fame United States Patent 3,126,125 DEVICE ADAPTED T0 DISPENSE EITHER ARTI- CLES OR FLUENT MATERIAL Paul J. Eggers, 9600 N. Karlov, Skokie, Ill. Filed June 1, 1961, Ser. No. 114,111 4 Claims. (Cl. 221-96) This invention relates to dispensers and has particular relation to the provision of a dispenser having a maximum simplicity and a minimum number of parts.

One purpose of the invention is to provide a dispenser having a minimum number of parts whch shall nonetheless be effective to dispense items carried therein while maintaining the remaining items under maximum moisture-resistant storage conditions.

Another purpose is to provide a dispenser having a minimum number of parts while remaining effective to maintain the items to be dispensed within a maximum air-resistant environment.

Another purpose is to provide a dispenser having a minimum number of parts elfective to dispense one item at a time from a supply of items to be dispensed.

Another purpose is to provide a dispenser having means for maintaining a supply of items to be dispensed and for agitating said supply when an item is dispensed therefrom.

Another purpose is to provide a dispenser having a minimum number of parts and having means for separating an item to be dispensed from a supply thereof and for maintaining said item under moisture and airresistant storage conditions until just prior to its dispensing from said supply.

Another purpose is to provide a dispenser comprising one fixed part and one movable part.

Another purpose is to provide a dispenser efiective alternately to dispense both pelletized items and powdered or granular materials.

Other purposes will appear from time to time during the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away and parts in cross-section;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view with parts broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a detail view;

FIGURE 4 is a detail view;

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of a variant form of the invention; and

FIGURE 6 is a view taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 5 with parts broken away.

Like parts are indicated by like numerals throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG- URE 1, the numeral 1 indicates generally a storage housing which may, for convenience, be formed of plastic and which may, for further convenience, be formed of a top wall 2 and a cylindrical wall 3 having an open end 4 opposite the wall 2. An outwardly extending annular flange 5 bounds the opening 4 in housing 1. Vertically extending within housing 1 and arcuately paralleling a portion of the inner surface thereof is a dam 6 having radially disposed end surfaces 7, 8 joined by an arcuate or concave central surface 9 inwardly spaced from and paralleling the opposed inner cylindrical surface portion of housing wall 3. It will be realized that the number 6 is a fixed member in housing 1 which may take a variety of forms and positions without departing from the nature and scope of the present invention, the purpose of which appears herein below.

Manually movable in opening 4 is a dispenser member 10. The member 10 has a cylindrical outersurface 11 positioned outwardly of housing 1 and extending beyond the opening 4 therefrom. The surface 11 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced gripping ridges 12. Inwardly extending, intermediate the ends of the inner surface 13 of wall or surface 11, is an annular wall portion 14. The adjacent edge, or upper edge as the parts are shown in the drawings, 15 of wall 11 has an inwardly turned lip 16 forming, with the upper surface of wall portion 14, a groove 17 formed and adapted to receive, by snap action, for example, the flange 5 of housing wall 3 and thus rotatably to secure member 10 to housing 1.

Upwardly disposed from an inner portion of wall portion 14 for extension into housing 1 is the dispenser cylindrical wall 18 from which extends a conical wall portion 19 for further extension into housing 1. Fixed on the upper or inner portion of segment 19 is an agitator element 20 which may, for convenience, be formed of a plurality of radially disposed, circumferentially spaced wall segments 2124. The upper edges of each of the wall segments 2124 may have surfaces lying in more than one plane, as indicated generally at 20a, 20b.

The outer surface of circumferential dispenser portion 18 has a plurality of item-receiving circumferentially spaced recesses 3b which may, for convenience, be four in number. It will be observed that the recesses or pockets 36 extend upwardly or inwardly through aligned portions of dispenser conical segment 19 and are thus open to and communicate with the inner portion of housing 1.

Surrounding both sides and the entire upper open portion of each item-receiving recess 30 is a sealing rib 30:! which, as may be best seen in FIGURE 1 is generally U- shaped in configuration. Each of the sealing ribs 30a has a pair of parallel spaced leg portions 3% extending from wall portion 14 upwardly or inwardly through the entire lateral extension or rise of dispenser portion 18 and a curved portion 30c surrounding the entire upper or inner open end of its associated pocket 30 and lying along the conical surface of extension segment 19. Circumferentially spaced about the circumferential surface or dispenser portion 18 are a plurality of additional sealing ribs 31 which extend from the wall portion 14 upwardly or inwardly through the lateral extension of dispenser portion 18. The sealing ribs 31 may, for convenience, be four in number, each of which is positioned between a pair of sealing ribs 30a.

The deflector .or agitator dam member 6 has an angularly disposed lower wall portion 40 extending downwardly in an inclined plane from the inner wall surface 9 of member 6 to and in contact with the circumferential wall 3 of housing 1 rat a point upwardly spaced from the lower open end 4 of housing 1. A dispensing opening 41 is formed in the wall 3 of housing 1 immediately beneath the wall portion 4%} and spaced inwardly adjacent the flange 5 of housing 1. It will be observed that the opening 41 has a width substantially equal to that of the pockets 30* for passage through the opening 41 of the item to be dispensed, for example, the pill indicated at A in FIGURE 1. :It will be further observed that the ribs 31 terminate at a point positioned for contact with the inner surface of housing wall 3 at the point of juncture therewith of wall 40 and that the juncture of Wall 40 with wall 9 of member 6 is positioned for contact by sealing rib portion 300 of sealing rib 30a when one of the pockets 30 is in alignment with opening 41.

Referring now to the variant form of the invention i1- lustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, the dispenser member 10 may, as above indicated, be hollow and may, in the form illustrated in FIGURES '5 and 6, have formed in the upper conical portion '19 thereof a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures indicated :as at 50. A bottom wall member 51 may be positioned in the lower, otherwise open, end of the dispenser member and may, for

convenience, lie in the plane of wall member 14. The

Patented Mar. 24, 1964 bottom wall 51 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced discharge openings 52 formed therein. An inwardly directed flange 53 is formed, as best seen in FIGURE 6, on the inner surface 13' of dispenser portion Ill and is spaced beneath wall portion 14 to rotatably receive a closure member 54. The closure member 54 has a manually operable, centrally positioned handle segment 55 and, as best seen in FIGURE 5, a plurality of radially directed, circumferentially spaced series of openings 56. Each series of openings 56 has a radial extension substantially equal to the radial extension of openings 52 in member '51.

Returning now to FIGURE 1, a mounting flange or ear member 60 is illustrated as being secured to the outer circumferential surface of housing portion 3, it being understood that any suitable mounting means may be provided, the member 60 being arranged for removable attachment to a suitable wall bracket.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

With the interior of housing 1 containing a supply of items to be dispensed, such as the pill A, the dispenser member 10 is inserted in the open end 4 of housing 1. It will be understood that the housing 1 may, for convenience, be formed of plastic or other suitable material whereby the open end thereof may be flexed to provide for 1a snap-action engagement of the flange 5 with the groove 17 in dispenser member 10. Thus the dispenser member is rotatably positioned in the otherwise open end of housing 1. As the member 10 is rotated, the supply of tablets A is agitated by the rotation of the agitator 20 among the items to be dispensed and by impingement of said items upon the fixed agitator member 6. The fixed abutment or dam 6 is effective to prevent rotation of the supply of tablets A in a body, and to insure continuous agitation of the tablets A in response to rotation of the member 10.

As the agitation of the tablets A occurs, an individual tablet is caused to fall downwardly into one or more of the pockets 30. At any given position of the member 10, at least three of said pockets 30 are upwardly open for reception of one of the tablets A. When a pocket 30 containing a tablet A has been rotated into a position of alignment with the opening 41, as appears in the right hand portion of FIGURE 1, for example, the tablet A is dispensed, by gravity, outwardly through the opening 41 into the hand of the operator, or into any suitable receptacle provided therefor, the inner, or base wall 30d being downwardly, outwardly curved to provide for said dispensing of the tablet A.

It will be observed that the tablets A are protected against the entry of air and moisture into the area within housing 1 at all times up to the point of their dispensing from the device of the invention. The ribs 30a and 31 are in contact with the inner surface of housing 1 at substantially all times throughout the rotation of dispenser 10. When a tablet A is first received in a pocket 30, that pocket is circumferentially spaced from the opening 41. The tablet A in said pocket is therefore protected, along with the remaining tablets in housing 1, to the extent possible, from contact by moisture or air. At the time of dispensing, the tablet A being dispensed is first exposed to the atmosphere. At that precise point in time, however, the tablets remaining to be dispensed continue to be protected from moisture and air by the sealing action of sealing rib portion 300 against the member 6, as indicated generally at 61, the rib portions 30b serving to seal the opposite sides of the opening 41 during the dispensing of a tablet A.

The use and operation of the variant form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6 is similar in that the member 10, with the modifications illustrated in FIG- URES 5 and 6, is positioned in the open end of housing 1. A supply of salt or similar granular material is supported within housing 1 on the member 10. The vertically directed openings 50 are effective to permit the passage of the granular materials within housing 1 into the interior of dispenser member 10. Since the form of the device illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6 is designed for alternate employment in the dispensation of both tabletized and granular materials, the portions illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, but without numerals, are identical with those described and illustrated in FIGURES 1-4. The ribs 30a and 31 are effective to maintain the supply of granular materials within housing 1 substantially free from contact by moisture or air. Similarly, the member 10 may be rotated to produce agitation of the supply of granular materials within housing 1, whenever such agitation is deemed necessary, it being understood, in that event, that a supply of granular material will be dispensed through opening 41. On the other hand, the supply of granular material, being protected from moisture and air, is unlikely to require agitation at any time. The member 10 may therefore be allowed to remain stationary in housing 1 when granular materials are desired to be dispensed.

When it is desired to dispense granular materials from the device of the invention with the form of dispenser member 10 illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, the operator merely rotates, by means of handle 55, the closure plate 54 to bring the apertures 56 into alignment with the openings 52 in member 51. Thereupon, the granular materials within member 10 and those flowing thereinto through openings 50 are dispensed through the openings 56. In this regard, also, the positioning of flange 5 within groove 17 is effective to permit such shaking of the device of the invention as the operator may deem advisable in connection with the dispensing of granular materials. When suflicient granular materials have been dispensed, the operator merely rotates member 54 into position bringing the apertures 56 out of alignment with the openings 52, and thereby closing the apertures 52 against the further passage of granular materials therethrough.

Whereas I have described and claimed a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that further modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing specification. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be taken as merely illustrative and not definitive, and the scope of the invention should be limited only by the following appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser, comprising a circumferential housing having an open lower end, a substantially circumferential dispenser member rotatably mounted for manual rotation in and closing said open end, said housing having an area positioned above said dispenser member and adapted to receive and store a supply of items to be dispensed with the lowermost of said items being in contact with and supported by said dispenser member, at least one pocket formed in a circumferential surface of said dispenser member and upwardly open to said supply of items to be dispensed for reception of one of said items in said pocket, said pocket being outwardly open from said circumferential surface of said dispenser member, a laterally disposed opening in said housing positioned for alignment with said pocket in response to rotation of said dispenser member, and means for sealing said supply of items to be dispensed against the entry of moisture and air through said opening when said pocket and opening are in alignment one with the other, said sealing means including a rib element bordering each side of said pocket and bordering also the upwardly open portion of said pocket, said rib element being carried by and extending outwardly from said dispenser member, and in continuous contact with the opposed inner surface of said housing, a fixed wall member extending from the inner circumferential surface of said housing into said area, said fixed wall member having a lower wall surface overlying said pocket and in contact with the portion of said rib bordering said upwardly open pocket portion when said pocket is in alignment with said opening, said fixed wall bottom surface having an arcuate extension greater than the width of said pocket but less than the circumferential extension of said housing, and an extension of said fixed wall member continuing upwardly into said area above said opening throughout a substantial length of said housing to provide a dam efiective to prevent simultaneous rotation of the material to be dispensed and said dispenser member, and means on said dispenser member cooperating with said dam to cause agitation of the material in said chamber when said dispenser member is rotated.

2. A dispenser as set forth in claim 1 wherein said dispenser member has a upper portion extending upwardly into said housing and having a bottom portion extending outwardly of said housing, a first set of apertures formed in said upper portion of said dispenser member positioned within said housing, said apertures being formed and adapted to permit the passage of granular materials from the area within said housing above said dispenser member into the hollow area within said dispenser member, a second set of apertures formed in a bottom wall of said dispenser member, said bottom well being spaced from said upper portion of said dispenser member and positioned outwardly of said housing, a closure plate rotatably supported on the outer surface of said bottom wall of said dispenser member outside said housing and effective to prevent passage of granular materials outwardly from said dispenser member through said second set of apertures when said closure plate is in one position, said closure plate being manually rotatable on said bottom wall, a plurality of apertures in said closure plate, said lastnamed apertures being rotatable into a position of alignment with said second set of apertures in said dispenser member to permit passage of granular materials outwardly from said dispenser member.

3. A dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said means on said dispenser member cooperating with said dam comprise agitator vanes carried by said dispenser upper portion and extending inwardly into the area within said housing above and beyond said upper portion.

4. A dispenser comprising a circumferential housing adapted to contain a supply of items to be dispensed, said housing having an open lower end, a dispenser member rotatably mounted in said open end, agitating means comprising vanes mounted on said dispenser member and positioned for agitating contact with said supply of items to be dispensed within said housing in response to rotation of said dispenser member, at least one item-receiving pocket formed in said dispenser member, an aperture in the wall of said housing, said aperture and pocket being positioned for alignment one with the other in response to rotation of said dispenser member, and means on said dispenser member for maintaining a sealing engagement between said dispenser member and the interior of said housing at all positions of said dispenser member, said sealing means including a radially extending rib element bordering said pocket, said pocket having an inwardly extending, upwardly open portion, said rib element also bordering said open portion, a fixed arcuate wall member extending inwardly from a substantial portion of the circumferential wall of said housing and cooperating with said vanes to enhance agitation of the contents of the housing, said fixed wall member having an arcuate extent greater than the width of said pocket and extending inwardly a distance suflicient to contact said rib element portion bordering the upwardly opened portion of said pocket when said pocket is aligned with said housing aperture, the remaining portions of said rib element being in contact with the inner circumferential surface of said housing, a plurality of apertures formed in an upper wall of said dispenser member adjacent said vanes and positioned to permit the passage of granular materials into said dispenser member from the area within said housing above said dispenser member, a bottom plate on said dispenser member and having at least one aperture therein, a closure plate rotatably supported on said dispenser member, a plurality of apertures formed in said closure plate, said closure plate being rotatable into one position wherein said closure plate apertures are not aligned with said bottom plate aperture, to prevent the passage of granular material through said dispenser member and into another position wherein said closure plate apertures are aligned with said bottom plate aperture to permit the passage of granular materials therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 42,934 Ewbank May 31, 1864 66,661 Williams July 9, 1867 1,095,621 Blue May 5, 1914 1,286,464 White Dec. 3, 1918 1,562,152 Du Grenier Nov. 17, 1925 1,701,869 Woods Feb. 12, =l929 1,979,948 Leake Nov. 6-, 1934 2,580,096 Holt et al. Dec. 25, 1951 2,649,994 Lewis et al. Aug. 25, 1953 2,667,075 Blum et al. Jan. 26, 1954 2,680,540 Probasco June 8, 1954 2,817,451 Giles et al -Dec. 24, 1957 2,828,048 Swanson Mar. 25, 1958 2,961,133 Ankney Nov. 22, 1960 

4. A DISPENSER COMPRISING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL HOUSING ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A SUPPLY OF ITEMS TO BE DISPENSED, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN OPEN LOWER END, A DISPENSER MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID OPEN END, AGITATING MEANS COMPRISING VANES MOUNTED ON SAID DISPENSER MEMBER AND POSITIONED FOR AGITATING CONTACT WITH SAID SUPPLY OF ITEMS TO BE DISPENSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID DISPENSER MEMBER, AT LEAST ONE ITEM-RECEIVING POCKET FORMED IN SAID DISPENSER MEMBER, AN APERTURE IN THE WALL OF SAID HOUSING, SAID APERTURE AND POCKET BEING POSITIONED FOR ALIGNMENT ONE WITH THE OTHER IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID DISPENSER MEMBER, AND MEANS ON SAID DISPENSER MEMBER FOR MAINTAINING A SEALING ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN SAID DISPENSER MEMBER AND THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING AT ALL POSITIONS OF SAID DISPENSER MEMBER, SAID SEALING MEANS INCLUDING A RADIALLY EXTENDING RIB ELEMENT BORDERING SAID POCKET, SAID POCKET HAVING AN INWARDLY EXTENDING, UPWARDLY OPEN PORTION, SAID RIB ELEMENT ALSO BORDERING SAID OPEN PORTION, A FIXED ARCUATE WALL MEMBER EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL OF SAID HOUSING AND COOPERATING WITH SAID VANES TO ENHANCE AGITATION OF THE CONTENTS OF THE HOUSING, SAID FIXED WALL MEMBER HAVING AN ARCUATE EXTENT GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID POCKET AND EXTENDING INWARDLY A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO CONTACT SAID RIB ELEMENT PORTION BORDERING THE UPWARDLY OPENED PORTION OF SAID POCKET WHEN SAID POCKET IS ALIGNED WITH SAID HOUSING APERTURE, THE REMAINING PORTIONS OF SAID RIB ELEMENT BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE INNER CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE OF SAID HOUSING, A PLURALITY OF APERTURES FORMED IN AN UPPER WALL OF SAID DISPENSER MEMBER ADJACENT SAID VANES AND POSITIONED TO PERMIT THE PASSAGE OF GRANULAR MATERIALS INTO SAID DISPENSER MEMBER FROM THE AREA WITHIN SAID HOUSING ABOVE SAID DISPENSER MEMBER, A BOTTOM PLATE ON SAID DISPENSER MEMBER AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE APERTURE THEREIN, A CLOSURE PLATE ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID DISPENSER MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF APERTURES FORMED IN SAID CLOSURE PLATE, SAID CLOSURE PLATE BEING ROTATABLE INTO ONE POSITION WHEREIN SAID CLOSURE PLATE APERTURES ARE NOT ALIGNED WITH SAID BOTTOM PLATE APERTURE, TO PREVENT THE PASSAGE OF GRANULAR MATERIAL THROUGH SAID DISPENSER MEMBER AND INTO ANOTHER POSITION WHEREIN SAID CLOSURE PLATE APERTURES ARE ALIGNED WITH SAID BOTTOM PLATE APERTURE TO PERMIT THE PASSAGE OF GRANULAR MATERIALS THERETHROUGH. 